


Inner Storm

by Spunky0ne



Category: Bleach
Genre: Ichigo/Byakuya - Freeform, M/M, Mpreg, Soul Resonance, TYBW setting, Yaoi, noble males can get pregnant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:34:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28174740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spunky0ne/pseuds/Spunky0ne
Summary: As Byakuya lies comatose following his defeat at the hands of As Nodt, Ichigo unexpectedly penetrates the noble's inner world and finds it in chaos.
Relationships: Juushiro/Tetsuya, Kuchiki Byakuya/Kurosaki Ichigo
Comments: 35
Kudos: 35





	1. Holding On

_Not yet..._

_It isn't time yet._

_Just a little bit longer and he will be here._

_They said he was coming, and Ichigo is an honorable person, who always keeps his word._

The battlefield had gone quiet and nothing moved in front of Byakuya but the gently falling rain.

_Just...a bit longer, now._

_He will be..._

_He will..._

He swore inwardly as he faded out for a time, only able to manage the slow intake and shuddering exhale of breath. Blood still warmed his skin, here and there, but the raindrops brought an uncomfortable chill, and he hoped fervently that he would finally go numb soon, so that when the substitute shinigami arrived, he could speak without shivering. Despite everything, it seems he still had some small amount of pride to protect.

He tried again to sense Rukia or Renji, but found his reiatsu too far depleted. As far gone as he was, he was existing on will alone, steadfastly refusing to believe for a moment that Ichigo would either fail him, or simply be too late. But then, when one earned Kuchiki Byakuya's trust, he gave it completely.

He heard a flash step in the distance and his somehow still seeing eyes spotted a light in the sky. A dark figure came down out of the sky, moving swiftly in his direction. And even with no reiatsu to tell him, Byakuya knew this wasn't an enemy. It was the one he had waited for. He yielded a very small, hidden sound of relief as Ichigo moved closer, slowing as he registered the devastating damage that the Kuchiki clan leader and Squad Six taicho had taken. Knowing his situation was dire, Byakuya wasted no time in getting to what was most important.

"Are Rukia...and Renji...s-still alive?" he managed, shivering only slightly.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, his voice betraying an intense effort to maintain control, "They're alive. They're fine."

Byakuya wasn't sure if the young man was telling him the truth or just being kind, but he chose the 'truth' that he needed in that moment and opted to believe Ichigo's words.

"I see," he panted softly, "G-good."

It took him a few moments before he could go on.

"I will not...last much longer. Despite being a Gotei 13 taicho, I was unable to defeat the foul enemy who invaded the Seireitei, resulting in the deaths of thousands of valuable warriors, causing...suffering in their families. And in the end, I was defeated miserably. It brings a disgrace that permeates every fiber of my being."

He saw Ichigo's hand tighten on his blade, but the substitute shinigami allowed him to continue.

"To add to this humiliation...now, you, a mere human boy who shouldn't even have come to this battlefield...that...I must...ask you this favor."

He felt a burning heat in his eyes and felt something warm that wasn't blood run down his face. He hadn't the blood left in his body to flush with embarrassment.

"Please, excuse my despicable behavior," he whispered, shuddering as a soft, icy breeze touched his damp skin, "Please...protect Soul Society...Kurosaki Ichigo."

It was a relief to get the words out...to know that Ichigo had heard them. Byakuya didn't look up, but only waited quietly, then, for some sort of answer. Out of the corner of one gray eye, he registered the dark, tormented rage that had taken over the youth's handsome face...the rising rage that meant that he would soon be doing battle. And he was wholly unsurprised when Ichigo's reiatsu swelled so heatedly that it shook the already crumbled wreckage all around them. His hand moved, and Zangetsu flew out and away, landing in front of Ywach and stopping him in his tracks. Byakuya watched in silence as Ichigo's furious eyes met his, and an understanding passed between them. Then, the youth was gone, and Byakuya found himself alone again, with the rain coming down hard enough now to wash the blood off of his drenched skin.

"No answer," he whispered, "It's fine. That's how he is."

He turned his eyes quietly in the direction that Ichigo had gone.

"Even if you don't answer, I know."

It seemed that a great weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. His confession made, responsibility for his shortcomings taken, his penance in pain done and Ichigo's promise understood, Byakuya gathered what pride he had left and pulled himself free of the bloodstained wall. He stumbled forward slowly, finally feeling blessed numbness settle in. But he kept his feet, standing tall, even as death approached. He breathed in the rain freshened air and felt dizziness sweep over him.

"I am counting on you, Kurosaki Ichigo," he whispered.

His vision dimming, he was vaguely aware of the Senbonzakura slipping free of his remaining hand. He heard the sharp cracking sound as the hilt began to disintegrate, but was spared anything further as he lost consciousness and began a long, slow fall.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Unohana-san," Ichigo said desperately, "I've heard that Byakuya was brought in from the battlefield. Shinji told me that Rukia and Renji are gonna be okay, but no one will tell me anything about Byakuya! Is he...is he still alive?"

"He is alive," the healer confirmed wearily, "although several times during his healing, he began to fade. It was very close, but we were finally able to stabilize him. He will live, although it is uncertain if he will be able to return to his duties as a taicho, or if he will even wake. He sustained devastating injuries and was forced to wait too long on the battlefield before he could be evacuated to the fourth division. I am sorry, Kurosaki-san. I wish that I had better news."

"Well," said Ichigo, "at least he is alive. That's something, ne?"

Unohana nodded briefly.

"Would it...be all right if I went in to see him?" asked the youth, looking in the direction of the noble's treatment room.

"You may see him for a few minutes while we are preparing to move him to a recovery room."

"Thank you," Ichigo said gratefully, "Of all of my friends, he is the one who I most failed today. I just need to tell him I'm sorry."

"Oh, Kurosaki-san," Unohana said, shaking her head sadly, "Do not think so lowly of yourself. You did not know that this crisis was coming, and you came as quickly as you could. I know that your arrival was a comfort to Kuchiki taicho. He spoke your name several times in his delirium. I think it helped him to remain strong. And I think it will be good for him to hear your voice now."

"But isn't he in a coma?" asked Ichigo, looking confused.

"Yes, however, often people who have been in comas, when they wake, speak of being outside their bodies, sometimes even able to see and hear what goes on around them, to describe it in great detail, when they wake. Speak what words you need to, and I assure you, Kuchiki taicho will hear you."

"Huh..." sighed the shinigami substitute, "All right. If you say so."

Ichigo felt a strange weakness in his legs and a pitching in his stomach as he walked towards the room. He remembered, with a chill, how Byakuya had looked, covered in blood and missing one slender hand. He swallowed hard, tears threatening, and forced the thought away. His hand shook slightly as he laid it on the treatment room door, but he took a steadying breath and pushed the door open.

Byakuya laid on the treatment table, dressed in a clean, white yukata, and motionless except for the slow, steady rise and fall of his breathing. Thankfully, the blood had been washed off of his pale skin, and the horrid slashes had been healed. His left hand was still missing, but his arm had been carefully wrapped. And Ichigo knew that even if he wasn't treated for a while, Inoue was more than capable of restoring the noble's missing hand. So that wasn't so much of a problem, really. What was a problem was that he remained unconscious.

_Unconscious, and they say that he might never wake._

_I just can't accept that...not of Byakuya. People don't come much stronger than he is. But...he took so much damage this time. I didn't come close to killing Byakuya when we fought. He got pretty banged up in Hueco Mundo, but that was mostly because he and Kenpachi Zaraki tangled with each other after they got through with Yammy. Then, when he fought Tsukishima, he was cut up a little. But never...never have I seen him take the kind of damage he took this time._

_Thank kami he's alive..._

_Now, there's at least a chance of making this up to him._

He moved closer, reaching Byakuya's bedside and looking down at him silently for several long minutes as he tried to think of what to say. It wasn't like before, when he had first seen the horrific damage done to his one-time foe turned friend...when the shock of seeing the noble's pristine body slashed and bloodied had stopped his voice and made the anger rise up in him like billowing flame. There was no anger now, only sorrow and lingering worry.

_This conflict with the quincies has just begun. And already, they took out the old man and incapacitated Byakuya and Kenpachi. Add to that, what that guy said about me...about my mom._

Ichigo sighed and ran his hands over his face.

_I won't think about that now. I have to think about my friends...taking care of them and making sure that bastard doesn't hurt them anymore. He and his army have already done too much damage. We've just got to hope that between Urahara-san and Kurotsuchi Mayuri they can come up with a way to stop those assholes from stealing any more bankais._

He sighed softly, taking in Byakuya's comely face, that looked impossibly young and vulnerable, now that the noble had been stripped of all of the markers of his status. Now, he was just a very beautiful and tragically injured shinigami, whom Ichigo called his friend.

"You look better now...more comfortable," he said, finally, sitting down in a chair beside the treatment table, "I was...really relieved when Unohana-san told me that you were going to be all right."

He paused for a moment, biting at his lips and trying to think of the right words.

"I haven't forgotten my promise, Byakuya. I will protect all of you. I wasn't able to stop that guy. But he left, and that will give Urahara-san and Kurotsuchi Mayuri time to work on how to stop the quincies from stealing bankai from the taichos and fukutaichos that still have them. And...they're going to find a way to give your powers back to you. I promise you. You and Senbonzakura will be together again real soon. Just...you have to focus on getting better, okay? Leave the worrying to me and just...be calm and think about what it's gonna be like to wake up back in your own bed at Kuchiki Manor. And whatever you do," he said, resting a hand on Byakuya's soft, slender one, "Don't leave us...okay?"

He caught his breath softly as soft, white light flared around his hand, where it touched Byakuya's. He felt his heart skip oddly, and his head spun for a moment, before settling.

"Ichigo-san?" said a quiet, stunned sounding, male voice from the doorway.

Ichigo stood and turned to face the person who had arrived, and found himself looking at Byakuya's younger, half-noble cousin, Tetsuya.

"Tetsuya?" he queried, "What...what's wrong?"

Tetsuya's lovely, sapphire eyes gazed down at where Ichigo's hand still held Byakuya's.

"N-nothing is wrong, exactly," the noble answered slowly, "and in fact, it may rather be something very right."

"Huh? You want to tell me what you're getting all mystical about? What's going on?"

"Oh," said Tetsuya, "it is something that I read in the clan leader diaries while in the archive with my cousin...an old story about our family patriarch, Kuchiki Hajime."

"O-kay..."

"Hajime was not born in the usual way, but was made from the branches and petals of an ancient sakura tree in the king's gardens. That is why all of the Kuchiki nobles are scented with sakura. But legend has it that after the king made the first five nobles, the patriarchs of the five great noble houses, he touched Hajime's hand, and white light glowed around their joined hands, signifying the presence of a perfect resonance."

"A...resonance?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "What are you talking about? What does that mean?"

"All souls that cross paths have some amount of resonance with each other," Tetsuya explained, "But there are some rare souls that it is said, are fated to interact in some special way."

"Well," Ichigo said, a little skeptically, "Byakuya and I have already interacted, both as enemies, then as friends. If there is this resonance, then why would it pop up now?"

"No one knows why the resonance happens. We only know that it first happened between Hajime and the first incarnation of the soul king, and that Hajime went on to become the king's consort and the first King's Samurai. When the spirit demon, Diablo sought to kill the king, it was Hajime who slew him. Thus, it is said that when there is a perfect resonance, the affected will share in some exchange of love and protection, and that none can say how such a thing will play out."

"Heh," Ichigo chuckled, taking it lightly as he tended to take such things, "Well, I can tell you one thing. I don't think Byakuya's interested in me like that. So love's not really an option. And he's already been beaten to within an inch of his life, so it's kinda late to be thinking about protection. Still...it is...nice to think that we have some kind of connection. I want him to get well again, and if this helps, then I'm okay with it."

He gave Tetsuya a placating look, and the noble looked back at him with perfect seriousness.

"So, uh, what do we do with this soul resonance? How does it work?" the youth asked.

"I thought you didn't hold with such things," Tetsuya said, smirking.

"Well," said the substitute shinigami, "if there's any chance of it helping him to wake up, then just tell me how and I'll give it a try."

"Actually, the resonance is not something that you will need to 'do something about,' but something that will reveal itself to the two of you. Just...keep an open mind. And...at such times as things get quiet and you lie down to rest, focus your mind on Byakuya-sama, and perhaps something will come to you. I wish I could be more helpful, but..."

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo said wearily, "It's not the first thing that hasn't gone right for me today. Anyway, I just came to see how he was. He got really messed up out there. I tried to get here faster. I really did, but..."

"It isn't your fault, Ichigo-san," Tetsuya said, shaking his head, "You cannot expect to stop something so large as this was. All we can do is go on from here."

"Right..." sighed the substitute shinigami, "But, hey, is Kuchiki Manor all right? I heard that after the initial fights, the regular troops came in and really laid waste to anything that was left."

Tetsuya's eyes grew troubled.

"Yes, and I am afraid that the noble estates were not spared. In addition, the enemy leader sent assassination squads to eliminate the heads of the clans."

"Oh my kami!" gasped Ichigo, "Tell me that they...!"

"Unfortunately, they managed to kill more than a few of the most powerful clan leaders. There was also a lot of collateral damage...many women and children killed and injured as well."

"Damn..." Ichigo said, the pain returning to his heart, "Tetsuya-san..."

"Our clan was somewhat lucky. Due to an early warning system that Byakuya-sama and I designed together, the manor was evacuated in time, and the family and Kuchiki elders escaped harm. All that we suffered was damage to our property, which can be mended. But we did also suffer the great injury of our leader, as he tried to defend all of us. The elders have taken control of clan matters, so there is order. But...we need Byakuya-sama to return. There is great distress amongst the family and he is most adept at calming things."

"But he's been hurt really badly," Ichigo said sadly, "And no one seems to even know if he will..."

"He will," Tetsuya said, tightening his lips, "He must."

"Yeah," Ichigo said, comforted somewhat by the blue-eyed noble's conviction, "he will. Don’t worry, Tetsuya."

"You should go and get some rest, Ichigo-san," Tetsuya suggested, as Unohana taicho and several other healers entered the room, "They will be moving Byakuya-sama to a private room and getting him settled in. You can come and visit him again later, after you have restored your energy."

"That is very good advice, Kurosaki-san," Unohana said, smiling at him.

Ichigo quivered inside, and once again wondered how the woman could possibly be so scary, while not even losing her smile."

"Y-yeah, well..."

The healer's hand brushed against him, and Ichigo felt his legs give way. He was caught up by two healers as Tetsuya exchanged knowing glances with Unohana.

"Thank you," said Tetsuya, "Ichigo-san is overwrought over what has happened, and yet will bear the greater part of the weight of resolving this conflict. He does need to restore himself."

"Not to worry, Tetsuya-chan," Unohana said brightly, "We will see that Kurosaki-san is well rested when he faces what comes next. Come now, let us see to getting your cousin settled into his room."

"Again, I thank you."

The healer turned her kind eyes on Tetsuya.

"Were you injured in the attack, Tetsuya-chan?" she asked.

"Just a bit," Tetsuya admitted reluctantly, "but I will be fine. I am well enough now to stand guard on my cousin."

“I see,” the healer chuckled, blinking slowly and Tetsuya flinched and blushed.

“Ah…”

“Will you let me see the arm that you are hiding, Tetsuya-chan?” Unohana asked, not losing an ounce of her cheerfulness but causing a little sweat to break out on the flushed half-noble’s face.

“Oh…well, yes I suppose,” Tetsuya answered in a flustered tone, “Really, there are more injured…”

“Tetsuya-chan,” the lady healer interrupted, “while Kuchiki taicho is incapacitated, I am sure that his family will need extra protection and care. There is no one who Byakuya trusts more than you to do something like that, so you will please let me make sure that you are suitably healed, so you can see to that task.”

“Erm…uh, yes…s-sure!” Tetsuya stammered, standing quietly and watching as his broken arm was mended.

"There now," said the healer as she finished, "Let us go and see to making your cousin comfortable.”

XXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo's mind spun in circles, making him move restlessly in his sleep. Outside the fourth division, the rain fell steadily and lightning flickered off and on. The young man flinched uncomfortably, reliving his arrival in the Seireitei, and his meeting with the badly injured Kuchiki clan leader. But in this dream, Byakuya didn't speak at all. He merely sank to the ground at Ichigo's feet, dying before he could say anything.

_"Byakuya!" he cried, dropping to his knees in the rubble and gathering the dead shinigami in his arms, "Byakuya, I'm sorry! I tried to get here faster! Byakuya! Byakuya!"_

"Byakuya!" he cried, sitting up, wide-eyed as thunder crashed, loud enough to rattle the windows.

The door to the room he had been placed in opened, and a young healer poked his head inside.

"Are you all right, Kurosaki-san?" he asked quickly.

"Y-yeah, kid," Ichigo sighed, a shiver going through him as he remembered the awful dream, "I'm okay. It was just a bad dream. I'll be fine."

"Okay, Kurosaki-san," the youth said, bowing, "Please call us if you need anything."

"Yeah, okay, I'll do that," he agreed.

He watched the healer leave, then laid on the bed in the darkness, watching the intermittent flickers of light from the storm.

_"...at such times as things get quiet and you lie down to rest," Tetsuya's voice repeated in his mind, "focus your mind on Byakuya-sama, and perhaps something will come to you."_

Ichigo closed his eyes and tried to picture the noble's face in his mind. He winced and blinked as his mind was assaulted again with the image of Byakuya, cut to pieces and dying...Byakuya, as he had been in that nightmare, falling to the ground and dying before he could even speak.

_Kami, what's wrong with me! I'm...so freaked out about him being hurt...dying. What's going on? What's wrong with me?_

He took several calming breaths and focused on how peaceful the noble had looked, resting comfortably in bed, after being healed. He tried to imagine the lovely, dark, trusting eyes opening and looking at him, but the very thought brought tears to his eyes.

_Byakuya..._

He started to drift off, and as he did, his spirit ribbon fluttered and extended, traveling out of his room and back down the hallway to where the noble laid, unconscious. And as the two relaxed in sleep and unconsciousness, Ichigo's spirit ribbon curled gently around the injured shinigami's body.

Ichigo felt as though he was falling...opened his eyes and stared.

He was no longer in the fourth division, nor anywhere he had ever been in his life. And the place he was in was pretty and undamaged, not at all like the destroyed Seireitei, where he had fallen asleep. All around him, sakura and plum trees blossomed. And the sun shined gently on everything, with light breezes teasing soft petals into fluttering down from the trees.

"I must be dreaming," he whispered.

But there was something about this dream that seemed very, very odd. And odd became frightening as he found himself approaching a small garden teahouse, where a lone shinigami laid in a bed.

A moment later, he realized who the man was.

"Byakuya!" he cried, running forward.

He slid to a stop as pink petals swirled up from the trees and flew at him from all directions.

"Senbonzakura, is that you?" he cried, "Stop it! It's me! It's Ichigo!"

But although the petal blades continued to block his path to Byakuya, the spirit of his zanpakuto never answered.

_Oh, my kami! This is no dream! I've entered Byakuya's inner world. But...something is wrong. I can't get past these petals. They make a wall too thick for me to go through. I have to get to him. I feel it..._

_But how?_


	2. Reaching Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amidst the struggle to survive and to recover control of his zanpakuto, Byakuya receives much needed encouragement from Ichigo.

"Senbonzakura!" Ichigo cried again, letting his reiatsu swell around him to ward off the hurricane of petal blades, "Senbonzakura, it's Kurosaki Ichigo. You must know that Byakuya is hurt. He may be dying. You have to let me get to him!"

He scanned the area around him for some sign of the masked samurai.

"Senbonzakura! Can you hear me?"

Still unable to connect with the spirit, Ichigo loosed his reiatsu around him, pushing forward against the petals again. The sea of petal blades spun more wildly, still forceful enough to resist his intrusion.

"I guess there's no choice," he concluded, "Byakuya, I am sorry about this, but if it's between you and Senbonzakura, I am going to have to hurt your zanpakuto to save you. Please forgive me."

He raised his reiatsu and let it flow into his raised blade, then he pointed the blade towards the teahouse in the distance.

"Getsuga Tensho!" he cried.

White light flared around him as his power was released, and he watched it coalesce and strike at the cloud of petal blades in front of him. He sprang forward, angling towards an opening his attack had made, but found himself quickly driven back under the force of the petal blades.

"Damn it!" he swore, "What am I supposed to do? Byakuya needs me. I can feel his soul calling for me. I have to get to him, but how?"

He gazed into the cloud of threatening petals in front of him and thought carefully.

_Maybe if I use bankai..._

_But I could damage Senbonzakura, even kill him. I don't know if Byakuya would forgive me for that. But I can't just walk away and let him die. I have to do something..._

He agonized for several minutes longer, entranced by the spinning blades, then swallowed hard and increased his power again.

"Bankai," he said softly, pointing his sword at the petal blades again, "Tensa Zangetsu."

White fire flared around him as his shihakusho changed and Zangetsu took in his more slender, condensed form.

_All right, Byakuya. Hang in there. I'm coming to you._

Ichigo loosed a snarl of determination as he swept forward, launching another blast of power, then firing himself at the somewhat larger opening his attack created. He was almost through when he heard the sound of soft, wicked laughter, and the space in front of him closed again. The petal blades spun all around him, slashing wildly at him from every direction. With a howl of fury, Ichigo struck with all of his bankai's speed, cutting apart the petals that attacked, as he retreated a short distance, and stood, panting and looking through the haze of petals to his friend who still laid, unmoving and alone just past them.

_Even bankai power is not working. How am I going to break through this and get to him? It won't be any good if I really have to destroy Senbonzakura to get to him. No, there has to be another way..._

He thought back to what had happened in the healing center, the white light that had risen around their hands as they had touched and Tetsuya's reaction and explanation.

_It sounds far-fetched, but I have to admit that I am out of answers. If what Tetsuya said was true, then it means that Byakuya and I are meant to do something important together. That means that he's got to live. I can't fail him now. I have to break through and get to him._

_But how?_

He thought back to how he had been drawn into Byakuya's world.

_I couldn't have gotten in here if Byakuya hadn't wanted me to come. He wants me with him, but it looks like the fact that Senbonzakura was stolen has turned him against his master, and he doesn't want me to reach Byakuya to help him._

_So, what should I do?_

_Tetsuya said that our souls are resonating. That means there is a strong connection. That connection pulled me into Byakuya's inner world in the first place. Maybe it can help me to get to him!_

Ichigo closed his eyes and pictured Byakuya in his mind. He focused on his soul ribbon and cast it carefully in Byakuya's direction, holding his breath as it approached the swell of pink petal blades and very slowly passed through.

_I'm coming to you, Byakuya!_

He opened his eyes and peered through the petals, watching as his soul ribbon approached the teahouse where the noble laid, and gently slithered inside. Ahead of the shinigami substitute, the petals raged into a blinding storm, roaring with intensity as they moved towards him.

Ichigo stared down the onslaught of petals, his mind going blank, except for his singular focus...reaching Byakuya, where he laid on the other side of the petal storm.

_I won't fail you this time. This time, I am going to reach you._

Ichigo closed his eyes again and pictured himself following the path of his soul ribbon, passing through the storm of petal blades and touching down just inside the teahouse. He imagined himself dropping down at Byakuya's side and touching the noble's sleeping face, watching and smiling as his friend opened his wide, gray eyes.

And as he pictured it, what he saw in his mind began to happen. He felt himself floating forward and passing through the petals as though they were only an illusion. He reached the other side and floated to the steps of the teahouse, then slowly came down to the ground and stepped inside.

He heard an infuriated roar behind him and looked back to see where the air all around the little teahouse was filled with deadly petal blades. They screamed through the air, even beginning to damage the lovely trees and flowers that were a part of the noble's inner world.

"Don't worry, Senbonzakura," Ichigo whispered, "I'm going to save Byakuya, and then he and I are going to save you."

He walked slowly to Byakuya's side and knelt, just as he had imagined himself doing.

"I'm here, Byakuya," he said, reaching down and touching the noble's face very gently to stir him.

Byakuya neither stirred, nor made a sound. Unnerved, Ichigo checked and found that he was breathing and that his heart was beating, but that he seemed otherwise unresponsive. He massaged Byakuya's wrists and patted his face, calling his name and urging him to wake.

"C'mon, Byakuya. Wake up, all right? I want to help you, but you have to work with me here."

He closed his eyes again, focusing deeply on Byakuya's sleeping body and letting his spirit ribbon wrap around the noble, then slip inside to seek his. He found it curled tightly, far down in the depths of the stricken shinigami's shocked soul, coiled for self protection against the attacks of his own power.

"It's okay now," Ichigo said softly, "I'm here now. Senbonzakura can't hurt us while we are in here. Come on, Byakuya, latch onto me and let me wake you up!"

He felt Byakuya's spirit ribbon flicker, then sluggishly begin to move towards his.

"That's right. Just take it slow and reach out for me. I'm going to help you."

Time slowed to an agonizing crawl and sweat broke out on Ichigo's forehead as he held his concentration and fought his way, inch by inch, to reach the noble's spirit ribbon. He let out a sob of triumph as their spirit ribbons finally touched, and he felt the strong brush of Byakuya's life force.

 _Ichigo..._ , the noble's voice whispered in his mind.

"I'm here," the young man said, tears coming to his eyes as Byakuya's body finally stirred, "You're going to be okay now."

He laid his hands gently on the noble's softly rising and falling chest, slowly infusing him with strengthening reiatsu. Byakuya shifted and moaned softly as he began to wake.

"Ichigo?" he whispered, "Ichigo, is that you?"

The noble's wide, gray eyes blinked open and gradually focused on him. Ichigo smiled at him.

"Good to see you awake again," he said in a relieved tone.

"Ichigo," Byakuya whispered, "How did you...how did you find me?"

He started to sit up, then winced and fell back again.

"Take it easy. You were hurt really badly and you're still healing."

Byakuya's eyelids fluttered and he looked around them, frowning and trying to make sense of things.

"Ichigo, how did you get here? How did you enter my inner world?" he asked, looking confused.

"I don't know exactly," the younger man explained, "I went to see you in the healing center, and something strange happened when I touched your hand. There was this...white light and I felt some kind of connection form."

"A...connection?"

"Yeah," Ichigo affirmed, "Then, your cousin walked in and saw. He told me that our souls were resonating strongly, and that it was something that had to do with the first Kuchiki that the soul king made. He said that it meant that we were supposed to..."

"Ah..." said Byakuya, trying again to sit up, and this time succeeding, "I see."

He looked down quietly at his hands, suddenly remembering how he had lost one in the fighting. He flinched at the memory of his devastating loss, and at the disappearance of his connection with Senbonzakura.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked softly, slipping an arm around him.

The younger man read the noble's discomfort and squeezed his hand gently.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with you that we can't fix, okay? What you and I can't manage, Orihime can take care of. Don't worry."

"I am not worried by that," Byakuya said, looking up at the younger man for a moment, then back down at his hands, where they rested on the blanket.

Ichigo left him sitting there, and crossed the room to where he found tea leaves and cups. He heated some water and made them each a cup of hot green tea, then returned to the noble, who was still sitting in the bed, but now looking out of the teahouse to where Senbonzakura's petals swirled so angrily outside.

"Byakuya," Ichigo said, handing the noble his tea, "You're going to get him back."

Byakuya took a sip of the tea, then sighed and closed his eyes against the words.

"How do you know that?" he asked in a low voice, "We do not know anything about what those medallions actually do. It is entirely possible that I will never..."

"Hey!" Ichigo said, interrupting him, "Don't talk like that. I just went through hell and out the other side to come in here and help you. Don't give me any shit about it being hopeless. You're going to get your powers back."

"Ichigo, I heard what was said about my condition," Byakuya said, frowning, "They don't know if I will ever wake, and if I do, it is doubtful that..."

"Shut up about that, will you?" Ichigo snapped, "It's not gonna happen that way."

"Oh?" the noble queried, a note of sarcasm in his voice, "You sound very sure of yourself...as usual."

"Huh," Ichigo huffed, smirking, "and you sound all high and mighty like always. I see that nearly dying hasn't changed that."

"Do you not understand? I am still dying, Ichigo, "Look outside. Senbonzakura has begun to destroy my inner world. The rain has already begun to fall. And as it destabilizes, you will be in danger of dying with me. You must leave now, Ichigo. You are needed to help stop the quincies. You cannot be bothered with rescuing me right now."

"Hey, take it easy," Ichigo said, shaking his head, "I am still gonna do everything I have to. Tetsuya explained to me that during my waking hours, I will take care of business out there, and when I sleep, I can come here to help you."

"I don't recall asking for your help," the noble commented stubbornly, "and besides, who are you to interfere with my fate?"

Ichigo leaned forward, placing his hands on the noble's arms and glaring into his surprised eyes.

"I'm the guy whose soul, for whatever reason, resonates perfectly with yours! So quit being stubborn and drink your damned tea! We need to work together to find a way out of this."

The shinigami substitute released the noble's arms and shoved the tea back into his hand, then rose and walked to the teahouse entry. He looked out at the storm of petals and rain and sighed in frustration. Byakuya sipped at the tea and set it down again, then laid down and looked over at the younger man, studying his worried expression.

"Will you tell me something?" he asked quietly, "While I understand what you said about our resonance, what eludes me is why you want to help me. You saw how badly I failed to protect my subordinates. Many were killed and badly injured, Ichigo. And I barely put a scratch on my enemy."

"I know all that," Ichigo said, off-handedly, "And I don't care."

"What?"

"I said I don't care," Ichigo repeated, turning back and moving to Byakuya's side to sit down again, "You think that _I_ don't know what it's like to get beaten in a fight? I've had my ass handed to me by you, Kenpachi and a whole list of others...remember?"

"Ah...I do," agreed the noble, "But..."

"But the difference is that even though I lost and I failed to protect my friends those times, I got up off my ass and just got stronger until I could protect them the way I wanted to. Sometimes it's not about who wins the most battles, it's about who keeps getting up and fighting, even after getting beaten. Did you lose? Yeah. Did people you care about get hurt and killed? Sure. But...you're still alive. And even though you might feel like you don't deserve it, you have another chance to go out and fight for the ones who are still here. Yeah, some people died, but Rukia and Renji and a lot of your subordinates survived. And they are going to be looking at you to lead them."

"Why?" Byakuya asked, frowning, "Why would _anyone_ look up to me?"

"Baka!" Ichigo snapped furiously, "Look around you! Nobody won a battle on our side today...not even me. You're not the only one who was beaten. So, what are you saying? We should all lie down and give up, just because we got our asses kicked? I don't think so. That doesn't sound at all like the arrogant, badass taicho I know. Where's that guy, because that's the guy I came here to find."

"I am sorry to disappoint you," Byakuya replied, sipping at his tea, then gazing down at his reflection in the cup, "but right now, remaining lucid is a struggle. I am afraid I am a long way from being either arrogant or...what did you say? _Badass_?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, amusement calming his anger somewhat, "But you're going to get better. I'm going to help you do that."

"Why?" Byakuya asked, meeting his eyes with complete seriousness.

"Because you're my friend," the shinigami substitute replied, lowering his eyes, "And that's what friends do for each other. And you know, Byakuya, it hasn't gotten past me that you have watched out for me before. Just think of it as me returning the favor."

"But Ichigo," the noble objected, "Do you not realize? You have never once been indebted to me...and I have only become more and more indebted to you. What you have done for me is monumental. I have done nothing on that level for you. How can you...?"

"Then, if you want to do something monumental for me, take care of yourself. Make yourself strong again. What happened today was just the beginning. The fight is only going to get harder. And if we're going to protect the people we care about, then we have to pick up the pieces and keep going."

Byakuya went silent for a moment, his dark eyes reflective and thoughtful.

"And _I_ am one of those people who you care about?" he asked softly.

"Huh," Ichigo mused, shaking his head and rolling his eyes, "Are you stupid? Why in the hell do you think I'm here?"

He flinched and caught his breath as he felt a tugging on his spirit ribbon and felt himself pulled back towards his body in the healing center.

"Ichigo?" Byakuya called after him.

"It's okay," the younger man assured him, "I'll be back. I promise. Just...stay where you are and I'll come back for you."

"Ichigo," Byakuya repeated in a whisper, as the shinigami substitute disappeared from his inner world.

He looked out at the storm of petals and rain, shivering as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled all around. But even though he shivered at the thought of what was happening to his inner world...despite everything...

Byakuya still trusted those last words.

_"I'll be back. I promise."_


	3. A Kiss to end Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While helping Byakuya, Ichigo finds himself desirous...and he is not alone. But is this love?

_Byakuya._

_Why did you do this?_

_Why did you let me go?_

_Such darkness is all around me now. I cannot see. The hand that holds me is not yours. The heart that guides me is black and the voice that commands me is icy and wicked! Weren't we part of the same soul? Didn't we both give everything to becoming stronger? You told me when your father died that you wanted to grow stronger so that such a thing would not happen again. You wanted to protect the ones you loved from enemies like the one who killed your father._

_But despite the strength of that vow, you have failed me._

"Senbonzakura?" Byakuya said, sitting up quickly.

His heart quickened at the realization that he had awakened alone in the darkness of night. Dizziness swept over him at having sat up too quickly, and he paused, reeling and blinking to clear the haze of spots that danced before his eyes.

_I feel even weaker than when I woke before._

He swallowed hard, listening to the lonely howl of the wind outside the teahouse and the slashing sound of the swirling petals that were slowly destroying his inner world.

_How do I make them stop?_

_Senbonzakura, how do I find my way back to you?_

The wind sounded again, carrying on it the trickle of falling rain.

_Broken apart, we begin to fall into despair._

"But to despair is to turn our backs on everything that is important to us."

Byakuya climbed slowly to his feet and made his way to the invisible barrier that protected him from the petal blades that stormed furiously outside the small teahouse.

"I will not allow myself to take the pathway of despair. There is a way to find you again. And I will promise you that when I am strong enough, I will come for you, Senbonzakura. I will not abandon you."

But as resolute as he was in his path, the noble was soundly shaken as his already diminished reiatsu began to flicker ominously. Waves of dizziness swept over him, making him sway dangerously on his feet. His vision dimmed and he was sure that he could hear someone calling his name in a desperate tone. He couldn't tell anymore who it was, but clung precariously to the sound as everything around him became distorted and surreal.

_Byakuya, don't leave me!_

_You promised that you would come for me!_

_Byakuya!_

"Byakuya?"

"Wh-who is it? Who is there?" the noble whispered feverishly.

He tried to open his eyes, but found them too heavily lidded to move. Fire seemed to burn everywhere on his skin.

"It's me. It's Ichigo."

His mind swam, searching for a connection to the person's voice.

"Ichigo?" he repeated haltingly, "I don't..."

"C'mon," the voice said bracingly, "Don't tell me you forgot me. Ichigo...Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm the guy who broke your sword to save your sister...the one who stopped Aizen Sousuke from destroying Soul Society. And now, I'm the guy who is going to keep you from dying, Byakuya. I told you. I won't let you die. So, you'd just better give up on doing that. C'mon, Byakuya, open your eyes."

Byakuya strained against the blackness that seemed to wrap around him, swallowing him whole and making that warm, calming voice begin to fade away. But just when it seemed that it would disappear, he felt a sound jolt pass through him, then a pulling sensation.

_"This is reckless, Ichigo-san!" cried a youthful, male voice, "He could drag you down into death with him! Ichigo-san! Ichigo-san, you have to let go of him!"_

_"No! Damn it, I told him I wouldn't let him die, and if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to keep him here! You either be quiet and help me or just get out! I won't tell you again, Hanataro. I am not letting Byakuya die!"_

The voices grew fuzzy and faded away again for a time. Then a soft buzzing filled his mind and another voice reached him, this one feminine...cool and almost seductive.

_"They can't save you," said the voice, "but I will take you to someone who can."_

_"R-renji...Rukia?" Byakuya managed, making the woman frown and stare._

_"Still fighting, I see. You have something that matters to you, then, ne? Well, don't worry. I am bringing them too. Focus, now, Kuchiki Byakuya. And when you hear Kurosaki Ichigo's voice again, open your eyes and try to remember."_

_"Wh-who are you?" he whispered._

_"One of the good guys," the woman's voice said with velvet sarcasm, "Go back to sleep now."_

Strangely, sleep came more easily this time. He floated, suspended in the darkness, something hot and clinging wrapping around him and making the pain of his injuries disappear. And slowly, as time went on, he felt strength seep back into his recovering body. While he rested, waiting for his strength to return, he found himself listening for that voice from before.

For a long time, he heard only that odd buzzing that had filled his mind as he had started to fade away. But little by little as his body stabilized, the buzzing grew softer and the voice from before returned to him.

"Byakuya?"

He tried again to open his eyes, and this time found that he could. He discovered upon waking that he was lying on his back in the small teahouse in his inner world. Someone was leaning over him, washing his face with a cool, wet washcloth, then lifting him slightly to sip at a hot cup of green tea.

"Ichigo," he breathed, the words barely audible.

"Ah," the shinigami substitute said, smiling at him, "You remember me now. You didn't before...when I came here and I found you unconscious. Hanataro told me that you were dying. He didn't know what to do to save you."

Byakuya noticed suddenly that his soul ribbon was extended out from his body, and that Ichigo's looked to have wrapped around it.

"What did you do?" he asked, frowning, "Why are our soul ribbons entwined?"

"I told you before that something weird happened when I touched you...a light. Your cousin said that it was a resonance, and that it meant that we were supposed to accomplish something together. You know, I'm not much for that mystical stuff, but it was a way to keep you from dying, so I just let it happen. I felt this closeness with you and your soul ribbon and mine reached out for each other. They held on to each other. That kept you alive until Squad Zero showed up and took you..."

"And Renji and Rukia," Byakuya added, remembering what he had heard in his dream.

"Yeah," Ichigo confirmed, "The royal guard showed up and took us all to the spirit dimension, the royal palace."

"So, why are you here in my inner world?" the noble asked quietly.

"I'm here to help you," Ichigo said, looking through the translucent barrier to where Byakuya's zanpakuto release raged, "You are going to have to get strong again so that you can bring your powers back under your control. So, whenever we're asleep, we'll meet here and work on doing that."

"How?" Byakuya asked softly, "I barely feel any reiatsu in my body at all."

"The royal guardsman, Kirinji, told me that while I am here, I can infuse your spirit centers directly with my reiatsu."

"What?" the noble queried, his eyes widening, "Ichigo, that is dangerous...as much so for you as it is for me. Directly connecting our spirit centers is..."

"Well, without using that method, Kirinji was convinced that you were pretty much screwed, so it's this or dying. What do you want to do?"

Byakuya sighed unhappily.

"I suppose there is no choice," he mused, groaning softly in protest as Ichigo helped him to sit up, then waited, looking at him expectantly.

Byakuya felt a flush on his cheeks that had nothing, he thought, to do with the fever that had been harassing him. His hand rose reflexively and stopped Ichigo's as the younger man sought to loosen his clothing.

"I will do that myself," he said brusquely, reaching for the tie on his yukata.

He felt the flush on his face deepen as his yukata opened, revealing his pale, sculpted chest and slim abdomen.

"I'm not going to be able to sense the position of your spirit centers," Ichigo said, his voice shaking very slightly as his eyes looked down at Byakuya's revealed body and a blush rose on his face and throat, "because I suck at reiatsu sensing, so you'll have to guide me to them."

"Very well," said the noble, steadied somewhat by the fact that Ichigo seemed as unsettled about the exchange as he felt.

He took Ichigo's offered hand in his, flinching and blinking as their touching hands glowed softly for a moment, then returned to normal.

"Tetsuya was right," Byakuya commented, "This is a powerful resonance. But then, it would have to be for it to have allowed you to hold me back from death as you did."

His eyes rose, meeting Ichigo's briefly and making the younger man flush more brightly.

"Thank you, by the way," he said, guiding the younger man's hand to the first of his spirit centers, located near his pounding heart.

A tentative smile rose on Ichigo's lips as he felt the hard, fast cadence of the noble's heart. He waited as Byakuya positioned his fingertips over the chosen spirit center.

"I know you are not adept at controlling the output of your reiatsu," said Byakuya, "so while you flow reiatsu, I will control the rate at which it is absorbed by my spirit centers. Before we begin, we have to connect all seven of our spirit centers."

"Go ahead," Ichigo said, nodding.

"Let your reiatsu begin flowing," the noble directed him.

Byakuya winced as Ichigo's power flared brightly and he was forced to temper the flow, so as not to overwhelm his connected spirit center.

"Stop. The first is connected."

Byakuya's hand guided Ichigo's fingertips to the second of his spirit centers, then to each of the others until all seven of their spirit centers were connected. The noble's hands were shaking softly by the time they were finished and both were blushing furiously at the intimate feel of the connections.

"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked, "We can wait longer if you want, you know."

Byakuya shook his head firmly.

"I will not let Senbonzakura remain in the hands of that monster for a moment longer than I have to. Go ahead and begin the infusion. Just be ready to stop it if I begin to be overwhelmed."

Ichigo took a steadying breath, then loosed his reiatsu, biting at his lips in frustration as the resultant power blazed fitfully and Byakuya panted uncomfortably with the effort of controlling its entry into his spirit centers.

"We must go slowly," he explained, "both because, right now, your power outstrips mine and because when my bankai was used against me, it flooded my spirit centers with too much power and burned them. They are healing, but they are much more sensitive to the flow of reiatsu. Too much will cause intense pain."

"Sorry," Ichigo said ruefully, "I'll try to hold back a little."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed and he managed a discomfited smirk.

"I will not hold my breath," he answered dryly, "You, like Renji, have somewhat feral reiatsu that emerges in an unrestrained flow. It allows you to unleash powerful attacks, but you lack finesse."

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled, "Well, sometimes you need to forget finesse and just kill the son of a bitch who is trying to kill you, ne? Sometimes there isn't time for a slow reveal of your powers and a lot of chit-chat while you fight. Sometimes it seems like you're fighting for entertainment."

"Not for entertainment," Byakuya corrected him, shaking his head, "Fighting is an art. And that slow reveal is often a way to show respect for an enemy."

He thought for a moment, then sighed softly, remembering his defeat at As Nodt's hands.

"However, I think you are right that there are times when we must abandon our preconceived notions of battle and embrace a more raw and unscripted approach. When the enemy abandons honor and fights with stealth and tricks, one must alter strategy and be adaptable, or he must be prepared to die."

The two men went quiet for a moment, their eyes focused on the flow of white reiatsu that came from Ichigo's body and flowed slowly into Byakuya's.

"I'm sorry that I didn't get to you faster," Ichigo said suddenly, his voice shaking harder and tears rising in his eyes.

"I am more ashamed that I was not strong enough to fight my own battle," Byakuya answered softly, "Ichigo, you shouldn't feel guilty. You promised that you would come to us, and you kept that promise. You promised that you would not let us die, and we are alive."

"Yeah?" Ichigo muttered sarcastically, " _You_ may be alive...and Rukia and Renji, but Byakuya...your soutaicho and a whole lot of shinigamis are dead. I couldn't stop that."

Ichigo caught his breath in surprise as Byakuya's hand reached out and the noble's fingertips captured a tear that had escaped him.

"It wasn't your job to defend Soul Society," he said solemnly, "That was the job of the Gotei 13. _We_ are the ones who were not strong enough. That you saved _any_ of us is a credit to you and your strength. And we are grateful. _I_ am grateful."

A tentative smile returned to Ichigo's face.

"Yeah, well maybe you should save your gratitude until we know you're out of danger," he mused, "Remember, I'm still connected to you. I can still damage you."

Byakuya emitted something dangerously close to a soft laugh.

"I am already damaged. And if what I endured in the fighting did not make an end of me, I doubt that just your errant reiatsu will do that."

"Huh," huffed the shinigami substitute, "Well, this _errant_ reiatsu trashed your ass once before, so you shouldn't go making assumptions."

"I will keep that in mind," the noble said, smirking very slightly.

Ichigo felt a slowly growing ache that started somewhere in the pit of his stomach and crawled gradually down into his loins as his spirit centers continued to slowly infuse Byakuya's with reiatsu. He shifted so that his increasing state of arousal would not be so obvious, then he froze as he noticed Byakuya, albeit more discreetly, was doing the same.

"Eh," he muttered uncomfortably, "Byakuya...um..."

The noble cleared his throat softly, the blush returning to his pale features as he hastened to explain.

"Kirinji was correct in telling you that a measure like this was necessary to bring my spirit centers back to life and to restore my ability to use what powers are left to me. However, what he did not tell you, probably to save you the embarrassment, is that this method originated as part of a noble male mating ritual."

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, staring, wide-eyed at the reiatsu that connected their bodies, "He didn't think it was important to _tell_ me something like that before we started doing... _this_?"

"Are you telling me that if you had known how it would affect you, then you would rather have watched me die before your eyes?" Byakuya asked calmly.

"Uh...no, but _Byakuya_! This is...!"

"Do not worry about it," the noble chided him, "If it bothers you, then you are free to relieve the pressure...or, as you have been so kind as to restore my power, I can help you."

 _"WHAT?"_ Ichigo yelled, his reiatsu blazing so furiously that Byakuya was forced to break the connection, ending the infusion, "No way! There is no way I'm going to let you do that!"

He swallowed hard as he was stricken with a sharp mental image of the Kuchiki clan leader, lowered between his thighs, that lovely pouting mouth wrapped around his thick, throbbing member and sucking, slowly and languidly...his dark eyes half-lidded and a serene look on his pale, beautiful face. More shocking to him than what he saw, was the instant reaction he felt in between his thighs.

"Ah...!" he gasped, staring, "What the hell?"

"You look distressed," Byakuya commented, taking a swallow of tea and lying back down on the bed, "Are you all right?"

"Hell no, I'm not all right!" Ichigo exclaimed, "You just gave me the biggest hard on I've ever had in my life, then offered to 'take care of it' for me! You don't think that's going to freak me out? We're not lovers! We're just friends. I'm not gay!"

He stopped and blinked in surprise.

"Are you?" he asked the noble.

"No."

"Then...why did you just offer to...?"

"You rescued me and you restored my powers," Byakuya said sedately, "Doing so made you uncomfortable, so I was simply offering to..."

"Huh, you look pretty _uncomfortable_ , yourself," Ichigo pointed out, his eyes narrowing, "Are you _sure_ that you aren't gay?"

"That would be impossible," Byakuya said, still in that maddeningly calm voice, "I was in love with, and married to a woman. I could, I suppose, be bisexual, but I have never given it any serious thought. I merely assumed, as I was attracted to a woman, that I was a heterosexual."

"Okay, but _seriously_ , if you don't even know what you are, then why are you offering to...eh...to...you know..." Ichigo stammered, blushing.

"To _relieve_ your discomfort?" Byakuya asked, "I told you. You..."

"I heard that," Ichigo said, cutting him off, "but don't you think it's wrong for two guys that aren't in love with each other to _do that_? I mean, do you even think I'm attractive?"

Byakuya gave him a surprised look.

"Well," he said, pausing to consider the question, "yes, actually. I think you are attractive. But why does that matter? This is not a matter of sexual love, but compensation for discomfort that I caused you. I apologize for flustering and offending you. I will leave you to your own devices, then."

"Huh? What?" Ichigo said, looking confused as the noble's eyes closed, silently dismissing him.

He looked down at his bulging erection, then back at Byakuya's still slightly flushed face. He flinched inwardly as it suddenly occurred to him how soft the noble's lips looked, and how he liked the light sakura scent that always drifted in the air around him.

_What the hell?_

_What is this?_

His blush returned as he realized that Byakuya's eyes had opened and the noble was sitting up and observing him quietly.

"Ichigo," he said, making the younger man freeze and stare at him, "I am sorry if you find this confusing, but you should realize that nobles do not think of love and sexuality as other people do."

"Uh, you got that right," Ichigo managed softly, "I don't get it. How can you...?"

"The bulk of noble marriages occur to secure power, to protect bloodlines, to keep peace between warring clans. Marriages like mine to Hisana are rare. Perhaps it seemed strange to you for me to offer you something of a sexual nature, but to me, I only meant to relieve your discomfort. Unfortunately, it appears to have confused you. You are used to thinking of love as the only reason to behave in a sexual way towards each other. That is because you do not live under the expectation that you will forgo love in favor of protecting what is most important to your clan."

"You can say that again," Ichigo laughed, "I'm glad I'm not noble. I don't think that I could marry someone or have sex with someone I didn't love."

"You never explored things of a sexual nature with a male friend?" Byakuya asked.

"Did you?" Ichigo asked, staring.

"Do not look so surprised," the noble chided him, "It happens frequently as part of maturing."

"But who did you...?"

"Tetsuya and I spent the greater portion of that part of our lives in each others' company. We were young, male and sexually curious. We were never in love and we never took any of it seriously."

"Did you have sex with him?" asked Ichigo, looking surprised.

"No," replied the noble, "It was just harmless, mutual exploration. We wanted to know what it would be like to be kissed...to be held...to be touched. We did not step over that last boundary because noble males who do that can become pregnant."

"Whoa!" exclaimed the younger man, "Really?"

"I did tell you that the procedure we used to restore my spirit centers was part of a _male_ noble mating ritual. You see, sometimes it happens that resonant souls are both male, in which case, the body of the male who receives seed from the other male will form an internal chamber that captures the seed and reiatsu and allows it to mature. When the reiatsu has matured, it emerges through the body and then solidifies into the body of a shinigami infant. Thus, even if resonants are both male, they can reproduce."

"What about two females? How would they...?"

"With noble females, the inducing of climax causes the release of an egg from one female. Their mutual reiatsu gathers around it and causes the formation of the reiatsu chamber, as in the cases of males."

"Kami, that's just..."

"It is very different than human reproduction. I know. I suppose your reaction is warranted, and again, I did not mean to annoy you."

"Ah...no harm done," Ichigo said, swallowing hard as a few errant strands of hair trickled onto Byakuya's face, teasing him and making the ache in his loins increase.

_Shit..._

_I'm attracted to Byakuya?_

_No way! He's a guy. I'm not...! But, if I'm not, then why am I reacting this way to him? Is it because of what we did to restore his powers? But even though it made us aroused, it didn't 'change' us. We are what we are. And...I guess I'm not what I thought I was._

_Weird..._

"Are you all right, Ichigo?" Byakuya asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Did you like kissing Tetsuya?" Ichigo asked without thinking.

"It was pleasant," Byakuya answered, looking somewhat flustered at the question, "But as I said, we were not in love...only exploring."

"R-right," Ichigo said, looking down at the floor.

His eyes wandered along the floor as his mind continued to spin.

"Byakuya?"

"Hai."

"Eh...would you mind if...? Do you think that, you know, just to see...we could...?"

He barely managed a soft, surprised inhale as Byakuya's lips captured his, then everything exploded onto lovely shades of gold and white.

_Holy hell!_

_What just happened?_


	4. The Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byakuya and Ichigo explore the strength of the bond between them.

_"Byakuya?"_

_"Hai."_

_"Eh...would you mind if...? Do you think that, you know, just to see...we could...?"_

_He barely managed a soft, surprised inhale as Byakuya's lips captured his, then everything exploded onto lovely shades of gold and white._

_Holy hell!_

_What just happened?_

The explosion of light around the two men left Ichigo unable to see for several long moments, and somehow, in that small amount of time, he ended up falling forward and coming down onto Byakuya's softly heaving breast. His mouth instinctively pressed harder to the surprised noble's, and he felt the overwhelming desire to get closer in body as well. His hands worked to loosen and open their clothing, as their kisses grew rougher and more wanton.

Byakuya gave a fluttering, sighing moan of contentment, that seemed to go straight to Ichigo's aroused loins. He moved his hips, rubbing up provocatively against the partially undressed noble, and causing dangerously beautiful flares of erotic reiatsu between them.

He didn't mean to let things go so far, and in fact, had only meant to share a few tentative kisses with Byakuya. But the more he kissed the raven-haired man, the more he looked into those lovely, widened, steel-gray eyes, the closer he wanted to be to the man.

_Kami! I've never felt so turned on in my life! Now, I wish I'd kissed him before. Damn, this feels so good, and he 's so sexy! I feel like I'll die if we don't get closer!_

_But..._

He shifted slightly, so that his hardened member teased Byakuya's entrance, and he felt the noble's slender hands tighten on him as Byakuya braced himself to be taken.

"G-gods," Ichigo panted, "I don't know if we should do this. You know, I'm a virgin. I might hurt you. And what about what you said, about nobles getting pregnant?"

"Ah," panted Byakuya in reply, "You needn't worry. If you make love to me, I won't get pregnant. It's when two noble males mate that..."

"Hah, good!" Ichigo moaned, cutting him off, "Oh my god, Byakuya! It's starting to hurt. I want you so bad!"

He blushed brightly at the boldness of his words, and even more brightly at the fact that Byakuya seemed more than a little interested in moving forward as well. His head tilted back, and as Ichigo pressed forward to explore the sweet, exposed flesh of his throat, he instinctively began to enter the noble. Byakuya made a brazen sound of surrender and his hips rose as Ichigo's descended, bringing their bodies together and making them one.

Incredible heat seemed to surround Ichigo, and he moaned louder and kissed Byakuya more ferociously.

Byakuya met his kisses with equal abandon, shrugging free of his clothes and wrapping himself tightly around the shinigami substitute.

 _What the hell am I doing?_ Ichigo wondered dazedly, _Is this because of that thing we did to help heal Byakuya's spirit centers? Is that why?_

_I feel like I can't stop...like I'll die if I stop._

It occurred to him then that as they had joined, the connections between their spirit centers had formed again, and they pulsated brightly with every hard, grinding thrust.

_Ah! So, this has got to be healing him, ne?_

_This...?_

_Oh gods, he's so beautiful!_

_I can't get enough..._

_Byakuya..._

_How can this be happening?_

"Ichigo...!" Byakuya hissed breathlessly, gripping the shinigami substitute's strong shoulders, "Kami, what is happening?"

His body went taut, and he gasped, crying out heatedly as his body seized, and wetness erupted onto their skin. And the sight of Byakuya's handsome face, written over in bliss, and his hands clenching so tightly, made the pleasure explode through Ichigo's body from end to end. His mind went blank for a moment as Byakuya's voice sounded again, moaning his name and panting so hard, Ichigo was sure he would pass out. But he just held on to Ichigo, resting his face wearily against the shinigami substitute's shoulder, and blushing furiously.

"Ah...! Wh-whoa..." Ichigo managed shakily, running his fingers through the noble's sweat dampened hair and coaxing his head up off of his shoulder, "Damn...I didn't mean to get so carried away. I...I didn't hurt you, did I?"

He felt a jolt of panic, remembering what kind of shape Byakuya's body was really in.

_But it's not like I made love to him in real life, right? I mean, we're in his inner world, so...how real was that?_

But looking down into Byakuya's wide, deeply sated eyes suggested it was all too real.

"Hey," he said worriedly, "that's not going to hurt you, you know, in real life? Your actual body?"

"No," Byakuya assured him, still blushing, but looking amused, "Although, it did singe my recovering spirit centers when you...erm...c-climaxed."

"Huh?" Ichigo said, blinking and flushing, "Shoot, sorry about that. I don't know what came over me. I guess that mating ritual is pretty powerful, ne?"

"It is," Byakuya affirmed, "but it is not all that is responsible for what happened between us. Ichigo, this resonance between us is incredibly powerful. And that is something I don't understand. It would be natural enough, were we a noble mated pair. But I am a shinigami and you are a human."

"Hey," Ichigo said, smirking at him and earning a soft glare, "We're just a couple of souls, Byakuya. It doesn't matter what we are out there. In this place, we're the same."

Byakuya smiled in spite of himself.

"That is true, isn't it?" he mused, closing his eyes as Ichigo's fingers caressed his face, "It is less complicated here than it is out there."

He went quiet for a moment, gazing out at the maddened swirl of pink petals that spun threateningly around the teahouse they occupied.

"Ichigo, will you tell me something?"

"Hmmm?" the younger man said, relaxing his pleasantly sated body against the noble's and planting soft kisses on Byakuya's pale throat.

"How, exactly, are you coming to me? What brings you past those petal blades?"

Ichigo smiled.

"I don't have to go through them," he explained, "I just seem to be going through the link that's between our souls. Why? Does that worry you?"

"No," said the noble, "It confuses me. Ichigo, everything I know suggests that the things that are happening between us shouldn't be happening."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "Aren't there sometimes exceptions?"

"No, not usually. But then, you are used to crossing boundaries you are not supposed to, doing things that you should not be able to."

"Does that make you angry?" the younger man asked softly.

"It makes me curious," Byakuya said, capturing Ichigo's face in his hands, "Who are you, Kurosaki Ichigo, that none of the rules that we subscribe to seem to apply to you?"

"Hmmm," Ichigo chuckled, "I think I'm just the guy who's damned determined that you are going to come out of this okay."

Byakuya went quiet for a moment, studying Ichigo's handsome face closely.

"Why is that?" he asked softly, "Why does that matter so much to you? I was your enemy once. And even though we have moved beyond that, I know I have not encouraged anything to develop between us."

Ichigo gave him a knowing smirk.

"But, what you just did showed me pretty clearly that you can't resist this any more than I can."

"Why do you think I would resist?" Byakuya asked, seeking his mouth again for a flurry of kisses.

"Well, usually, you're such a stickler for the rules, you know?"

"That has not always been the case," the noble explained, "And there is something about you, Kurosaki Ichigo, that makes me remember more of my former self. It has long been that way, though only now does it begin to make sense to me."

"Can you tell me something?" Ichigo asked suddenly, "When did you start to...I don't know, _have strong feelings_ about me?"

Byakuya gave him a sudden, tentative smile.

"A better question would be, _When did I not have strong feelings about you_."

"What?" the younger man asked, wearing a mystified expression.

"The first feelings I had were irritation...you and I weren't far apart in what we wanted. We both wanted to protect Rukia, but I felt trapped and unable to do so. And more than that, I felt trapped in that it seemed my duty to stop you. It was a source of great frustration that I was fighting you for something I didn't even want. When you defeated me, you also absolved me of the heavy weight of that responsibility. So, by defeating me, you freed me to follow my heart. What heart would not love the one that freed it?"

"S-so, you started to have feelings for me, all of the way back then?"

"It was not yet love, but gratitude and admiration. And I observed you from a distance, after that time, assisting in what ways I could without openly disobeying the rules. But, with every day came a growing respect for just how determined you were to protect your friends. And over time, I began to have a deeper faith in you, a trust that you would never fail the ones you loved. You have no idea how it felt when I was swept up in the Zanpakuto Rebellion, and even when I threatened you openly, you wouldn't believe that I would truly betray you. You, Rukia and Renji all remained faithful, despite a mountain of evidence that I had betrayed the shinigamis and joined the rebelling zanpakutos."

"Well," Ichigo said, blushing slightly at the unusually direct praise coming from one not given to such things, "none of us thought, for a moment, that you would ever really betray us."

"I made a mistake in not trusting you," Byakuya confessed, "I was terrified that Muramasa would discover what Senbonzakura and I were trying to do, and that he would kill us before we could find Kouga and complete our mission to kill him. The reason we succeeded, in the end, was because you and Rukia fended off the hollows, giving me the clear path to fight Kouga. Then, after, you won my heart all over again with the way you comforted Muramasa. You seemed to understand the tragedy there...the loss of connection that isolated Muramasa and made him so very desperate to seek his master."

"He was just trying to help Kouga all along," Ichigo said softly, "He didn't realize that he should have confronted Kouga sooner to make it a more equal partnership."

"That you could set his soul at peace, as you did, is a great comfort. You are very wise sometimes, for one so young. You showed that wisdom, that strength again, when you were willing to lose your powers to protect us all. It was painful for all of us, watching you, after seeing you fight to the very ends of your strength to defeat Aizen, then falling back into blindness and powerlessness."

"But, even though I couldn't feel it, I knew you were there...Rukia, Renji and you."

Byakuya bit his lip gently and didn't answer.

"Yeah, I know you came to Karkura Town sometimes. Because the breeze would come out of nowhere and blow through the sakura branches, and I'd watch the petals fall and I'd know it was you who disturbed them."

He chuckled at the blush his words brought to the noble's face and throat.

"So...back then, you were...?"

"I don't know," Byakuya said with honesty, "I felt a lot of things as I watched you. But none so profound as what I felt when the collected reiatsu in that sword Urahara-san made passed into you, and I felt our connection strengthen immeasurably. Then, I knew I had begun to love you."

"But why didn't you tell me that?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "If you knew that..."

"I was not allowed to cross those lines and love a human. So, even though my heart turned in that direction, I could not say the words to you. It escaped me in other ways...an unbidden smile here, a bit too much reaction there. But I could not speak it."

"But you're saying it now."

"I have no choice. My very life is in your hands. Ichigo, when you arrived in Soul Society after the quincy attack and you came to find me, I made a decision. I decided in that very dark moment, that I was going to leave everything in your hands. I gave you the contents of my heart and entrusted to you the task that had been the sum of my existence...Protect the things that matter most...Rukia, Renji and Soul Society."

Ichigo's face reddened and his eyes looked sad.

"You _do_ know that I wasn't able to do anything, ne?" he said softly, "I haven't saved anybody or done anything important in defending Soul Society, Renji or Rukia. And I haven't found the way to save you yet."

"But you have already saved me," Byakuya insisted, "You comforted me with your presence, and you came to me here to try to give me strength. Those are not small things, Kurosaki Ichigo, though they come very naturally to you. And know this...I have perfect confidence that you will emerge from this victorious. You are going to make sure that Soul Society does not fall."

"I don't know," Ichigo said, shaking his head ruefully, "It's in pretty hellish shape, now."

"You are not at fault for that," Byakuya said, reaching up to touch the younger man's face with soft fingertips, "That was the failure of the Gotei 13. It was our job to defend that place, not yours, so the failure rests with us. That you have accepted my request to do what you can to defend it now, only means that you will stop that man from completing his destruction of our world."

"Well, I'm a ways from doing that, yet. I'm going to do it, though. I promise."

"I know you will."

Ichigo smiled.

"Byakuya, why do you have so much faith in me? What did I do to...?"

"What a foolish question," the noble said, shaking his head, "You protected Rukia. You came to me and reassured me that the people and the place that mean the most to me will not be destroyed. My own strength failed, but you are still strong. You can still do what this weak person is incapable of."

"Byakuya, you are going to be strong again. You just need time and healing. You are being healed now. You're going to wake up again soon. I promise."

"But...what will be left?" Byakuya asked softly, looking out at the uncontrolled petal storm, "Even if I am healed, my greatest power is now in the hands of the enemy. Who knows how many people will die from the cut of the sword I no longer control?"

"Don't worry about that now," Ichigo chided him gently, "Just take one thing at a time. Get up and around in here. And then, you and I are going to work on getting control of Senbonzakura."

He lifted himself out of the bed and crossed the room, where he began making the tea. Byakuya sat up in the bed, gazing out at the swirling petals, his mind wandering and pondering deeply the mystery of what was happening.

_I still wonder how it is that we have bonded so strongly. I almost begin to feel strength seeping from him into me. That well of strength is feeding my broken soul now, bolstering and making it stronger. But, how do I take the next step? Senbonzakura won't speak to me. I do not feel the touch of his soul. I wonder now, if I will ever feel that presence inside me again._

"Here you go," Ichigo said, handing him the cup of tea.

"Thank you, Ichigo."

The two sipped quietly at the tea, both highly aware of the glaring task ahead of them, but neither speaking of it. When the tea was gone, Ichigo slipped into the bed and curled his body around the noble's, warming his lips with kisses and soothing his wounded spirit with that great well of strength he wielded. They surrendered once more, to the powerful bond that now connected them, Ichigo's body feeding the injured noble's with a deep well of love and calming reiatsu. They fell asleep with their bodies still joined, blissfully sated, and wholly unaware as the petals outside slowed slightly in their wild paths and some began to fall to the ground.


	5. Delirium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo returns to strengthen Byakuya as the noble struggles to reconnect with Senbonzakura.

Byakuya woke to find himself alone in the teahouse. Still wrapped warmly in blankets permeated with his and Ichigo's mingled scents and resonating inside with the younger man's essence. His heart fluttered fitfully and he felt an electric twinge in his belly, remembering the suddenness and intense passion of their unexpected coupling.

_I shouldn't take it to mean too much. Ichigo is a young man, and he does not even know if what he feels for me is honest passion. In many ways, he is still defining himself. I, on the other hand, know what I felt in joining with him._

He gazed out of the teahouse at the wildly waving sakura trees and spinning petal blades.

_It has been building up inside us for a long time, hasn't it? This attraction...this deep connection. So often, Ichigo and I have our hearts in the same place. It isn't obvious on the surface sometimes, because pride and obedience to the laws of the clans inhibits me from expressing it, but, yes, we very often want the same things. It is just that I am not allowed to express it openly. So...how many times, now, have I depended on Ichigo to play out what I would like to do if I wasn't held back?_

_Is that why we resonate so strongly? Because Ichigo embodies the essence of my own heart?_

Byakuya's eyes slid shut, and he focused deeply on the sounds coming into the teahouse from outside...the heavy rushing and violent hiss of thousands upon thousands of sharp blades assaulting everything in their path.

 _This inner world...this place...is my heart,_ he mused, _It used to be a quiet and peaceful place, or so I thought. Yes, it was more a forced calm that I learned to impose on it. Maybe the truth is that a very, very long time ago, it was calm and peaceful. Long ago, when my father was alive, and we, together with Grandfather, really felt like family. I could easily accept my role as heir, while gently guided by those others. It wasn't until my father's death that I felt the inner storm begin._

He heard the softer, wilder keening of the wind through the trees outside and remembered.

_Yes, this is the sound my heart made when each person I loved was lost._

_Soujun._

_Yoruichi._

_Hisana._

_And finally, with his departure for the royal realm, Ginrei._

_My heart raged out of control and made this sound before I forced calm and quiet back over it and moved forward. But even as I moved on, those pent up feelings raged somewhere, in some hidden corner of this place. And when the quincies came and I was struck down, it loosed the pent up emotions of all of those losses at once. Yes, to have lost those I loved, and then to have failed in the protection of the people and place I love most, all that was left of my heart was thrown into chaos, and this...this storm is the result of that._

_But I will not lie to myself anymore. I will not simply force down the emotions and use my will to cover the pain. I was cut...hurt...torn apart, and the howl of the wind outside is my own voice, crying out in frustration at what I have become. The petals that rage, out of control are my own clenched hands beating against the walls of my failures, trying to free myself again._

_If I do not accept my pain, my grief and my losses, I will be consumed by them. If I do not accept my shortcomings, I will be done in by them. And if I do not accept myself, my whole self, I will lose myself._

_This, then...this inner storm...is a part of me. And to regain control, I must take it back inside and become one with it. All of this is my heart that drives my will, and my will which shatters whatever stands in its path._

He stepped forward, placing his hands on the teahouse doors, then threw them open.

The roar of the howling wind and spinning petal blades assaulted his senses, and he felt them closing in on him as he descended the steps into the heart of his inner world. He was ready, he thought, to brace himself against the pain of that reconnection, but he had no idea what form it would take.

At first, the wind battered his slender frame, as though trying to force him back. The blades spun in his direction, their deadly edges honing in on him, approaching him at deadly speeds.

"Byakuya!" cried Ichigo's voice from somewhere behind him.

The noble froze for a moment, wondering at the return of the younger man.

_But then, Ichigo is always there for the ones he loves. Before, it would have been my instinct to stand alone against the storm, to rely on only my own strength to see me through. But from Ichigo, I have learned that we endure by putting our strength together against the storm._

_This is how we survive._

Byakuya reeled as other voices joined Ichigo's. And he realized that the storm had only been shutting those noises out. But as he accepted the storm into his soul again and became one with it, he heard them all...Ginrei, Rukia, Renji, Tetsuya and...

"Ichigo."

The shinigami substitute paused in front of him, studying the noble with curious eyes.

"That was _amazing_!" he said breathlessly, "How did you do that? I thought that you would be swept away, but you...you swallowed it up like it was nothing!"

He gazed at the tattered mess all around them.

"It sure made a mess, though."

"It will be fine now," Byakuya assured him, bending and brushing away some of the debris to uncover a small, golden flower.

Ichigo smiled and touched the small blossom, caressing the new, green stem lightly with his fingertips.

"But, what was that? What happened? How did you _do_ that?"

"I _accepted_ that this is a part of me...that storm and this mess are what is in my heart right now. Before I can be restored, I must accept who I am. Only then can I _become_ ," Byakuya explained.

"You look kinda pale," Ichigo said, moving closer, "Are you all right?"

Byakuya started to answer, but paused, frowning, as he felt a deep ache building inside.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, looking alarmed, "Byakuya...?"

The noble's eyes widened and grew distressed.

"It's _him_!" he exclaimed, "Senbonzakura. He is here somewhere and he is calling for me!"

Byakuya turned in one direction, then in the next, focusing hard and trying to hone in on the sound.

"I can't tell the direction," he confessed in a soft, frustrated voice, "Ichigo!"

"I can't get a read on it either," Ichigo said, shaking his head, "But you're looking like you're going to fall down. Come on, let's get you back inside and..."

Ichigo stared in dismay as a swift flash step sounded and Byakuya disappeared from his side.

"Byakuya!" he called after the noble, "Byakuya, wait! Your... _Damn it!_ "

He flash stepped after the noble, making his way through the collapsed trees and tumbled stones, searching for any sign. His already worried expression darkened as he sensed Byakuya's reiatsu and realized that it was leaking from his still-not-fully-healed soul as he ran.

"Byakuya, wait!" he called, flash stepping faster.

His concern increased as he spotted splashes of blood, where Byakuya had crashed heedlessly through barriers of debris, desperately seeking his zanpakuto spirit. He slid to a stop as he finally found the noble, bracing himself against some kind of barrier that held the masked samurai away from him.

" _Senbonzakura_!" he cried, pounding on the barrier, then striking it with his power.

"Byakuya, stop! You can’t break through it!" Ichigo warned him, "Stop it! You're going to...!"

Ichigo's heart stopped for a moment as Byakuya struck at the barrier again and Senbonzakura struck it at the same time, from the other side. A huge flash of light blinded him for a moment, and then he flash stepped forward, catching the falling shinigami in his outstretched arms.

"Damn!" he gasped, "Are you all right? Byakuya? Byakuya, answer me, damn it! Byakuya!"

He laid the senseless noble on his back, on the debris littered ground and realized, to his dismay, that he had stopped breathing.

"Byakuya!" he cried again, "Byakuya, wake up!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Back on the precipice between life and death, Byakuya clung to the last bits of fading life and tried to remember how he had come to be there. He felt himself falling through ice and fire, crashing into hard barriers and descending endlessly through unbearable darkness. But just as he was about to disappear into the maelstrom, Ichigo's voice broke through to him again, anchoring him and holding him, teetering at the edge.

"It's okay. I have you now."

He felt himself being lifted and carried for a time, then laid down in a soft, comfortable bed that was still scented with their mingled essences. Ichigo's voice soothed him back into sleep, and he found himself grateful to be able to feel those strong arms that wrapped protectively around him and the connection of their spirit centers, that slowly revived him.

Byakuya felt a cool, wet cloth wash his face, then felt Ichigo's lips touch his forehead, one slender hand, then his lips.

"Sorry about this," Ichigo said softly, "but Kirinji said that if I wanted you to wake up again, ever, that you needed a deeper infusion of my reiatsu."

Byakuya loosed a soft, pleased groan of relief as Ichigo slowly prepared him, then carefully joined their bodies. He took a startled breath and clenched at Ichigo's strong shoulders as they moved together. His eyes slid shut again and he let himself be swallowed up by the beautiful feeling of their resonance and the wonderful, erotic throbs that their joining created between them. Even better were the beautiful words Ichigo panted into his flushed ear as they writhed heatedly together.

"Please stay with me. I love you, Byakuya. I love you and I don't ever want you to go!"

The words ran like wildfire through Byakuya's reeling form, filling him again with passion and life, and bringing him back from the edges of destruction. He held on tighter, sinking into a hail of blazing kisses and feeling the flames of pleasure lick at all of his most sensitive places at once. He gasped as the gripping sensations overwhelmed him, and loosed Ichigo's name as climax shook his body and he felt renewed life flood his insides. Warm seed poured out onto their skin, then Ichigo's hot mouth made a trail of kisses down his body to devour his yielded essence.

Unable to move anymore, Byakuya laid quietly, enjoying the warm, calming touches on his body, and the soft, breathy words that trickled into his sleepy mind. And when Ichigo dropped down beside him, his breast still heaving softly with exertion, the noble curled readily into his arms, turning his head to lay soft, feathery kisses on Ichigo's sweat-misted throat.

"So...this is what it feels like to be in love," Ichigo mused, smiling as Byakuya nuzzled closer and loosed a pleased sigh of agreement, "And just for the record? I'm glad. I'm really glad that the first and only person to ever make me fall in love is you."

"I am equally grateful," Byakuya confessed, burrowing deeper into his embrace, "And I love you as well, Ichigo."

Ichigo slid a warm hand down the length his back and let his fingers play about the noble's plundered entrance.

"I'm glad you didn't die," Ichigo said, licking Byakuya's soft lips, then sinking into his mouth for a steamy bout of kisses before continuing, "But, what do we do now? You tried to reach Senbonzakura and almost died from the shock of attacking that barrier. You have to promise me that you won't do that again, Byakuya."

"But then, what am I to do? I cannot leave Senbonzakura in the hands of that quincy. He is in terrible distress, and it only gets worse, every moment that we delay."

"And I promise we'll go after him," Ichigo said bracingly, "but you need to be at full power before we can do that. Just trust me. I won't let you down. You are going to be back on your feet and fighting quincies in no time!"

"I believe you," Byakuya said more calmly, "It is just painful to know that he is suffering. And that I let him go so easily is...haunting."

"You didn't let him go," Ichigo corrected him, "You were tricked into releasing your bankai and he was stolen from you. But he isn't gone, Byakuya. We'll get him back. I promise we will. Just trust that and focus on getting better, yourself."

"Well," Byakuya said, sounding amused, "if all of my 'healing' is going to be as pleasant as this, then I have no objection to that."

He was surprised at how adorable and attractive Ichigo looked when he blushed.

"That was really something, ne?" he laughed softly, "Too bad when we started you were kinda half-dead."

"I am quite alive now," the noble said, turning in his arms, "And having been so painstakingly revived by your fine attentions, I feel compelled to offer you just compensation for what you did."

"Oh, you don't have to..."

He had his words stolen away as Byakuya's soft lips captured his, and the noble commenced a very slow and thorough appreciation of every inch of the younger man's bared body. His graceful fingers combed through the short lengths of ginger hair, and his kisses touched every last inch of his face, before traveling gradually downward. Teasing the sensitive skin of his throat, following the hard line of his collarbone, then trailing down over the broad expanse of his chest and lingering over his soft, white belly, plunging heedlessly into his navel and sucking heatedly, then following the line of ginger hairs down to his nether region, pausing to loose hot breath onto his inner thighs and watching the beautiful flush on his skin deepen, smiling and pushing his thighs open wider, then making him moan and sigh helplessly as that sinful mouth wrapped around his engorged cock and slid up and down, pleasuring him shamelessly.

"B-byakuya!" Ichigo groaned, sinking his fingers into the lovely lengths of raven hair and encouraging his movements.

He almost disappeared into the lovely throbs of climax, and the even more wicked pleasure of feeling how desperately the proud noble devoured every last trace of his yielded essence before returning to his mouth and sharing their mingled flavors, leaving him sleepy and sated, dozing pleasantly in Byakuya's arms.

"I have to say, I hate what the quincies have done to our worlds," he said softly, seeking Byakuya's lips again, "but I am not sorry that this happened...you and me. I never even thought of it before, but it really makes sense. There's always been a lot of emotion between us, even when we were fighting each other before."

"I never wanted to fight you," Byakuya confessed, "If anything, I wanted to be the one fighting on Rukia's behalf."

"I know that," Ichigo chuckled.

"And because of you, I was freed to do that, after our battle."

"Yeah, but...do you always have to do everything the hard way?"

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, frowning.

"Well, if when you'd come to the living world to find Rukia, you'd just fallen into my arms right then, we would never have had to fight at all. We could have been lying there, making love all of this time!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Byakuya huffed, shaking his head, "That would never have..."

"I _know_ that!" Ichigo laughed, pushing the noble down and pouncing on him again, "I was joking, Byakuya."

"Ah, I see," the noble said, smirking, "Well then, if you promise to make your next joke _funny_ , then maybe I will laugh."

"You...!" Ichigo began, then he caught Byakuya's eye and read the humor there, "You're going to pay for that!"

But the price, Byakuya found as his body was passionately invaded again, was one that he was more than willing to pay.


	6. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ALL NEW CHAPTER! As he recovers in the royal palace, Byakuya shows Ichigo gratitude for his actions, and stokes the shinigami substitute's will to win.

Tetsuya pushed open the door to the healer’s lounge and was relieved to find the room empty. He located a portion of rations and sat down at one of the tables to rest and eat. He had only barely begun when the door opened and Kotetsu Isane’s searching eyes found him.

“Ah, Tetsuya-chan, you are still here,” she sighed wearily.

Tetsuya nodded and motioned for the tired healer to join him.

“I needed to restore myself somewhat before returning to the clan’s encampment to give the elders my report.”

“Oh right,” Isane said, her expression growing a bit more weary, “Well, you have been a big help since…”

She trailed off, tears rising in the corners of her eyes.

“Sorry,” she apologized, “I understand that Unohana taicho wasn’t who I thought she was. I mean, she was…but she was also this-this legendary fighter.”

She sighed and rested her dirty and tearstained face in her hands.

“I just can’t believe she’s gone,” she said in a numb, empty sounding voice.

“We have all suffered great losses in this war,” Tetsuya agreed sadly, “I feel especially bad about the loss of Unohana taicho. She was always kind to me…and she encouraged me to develop my healing ability.”

Isane managed a little, somber smile.

“I heard she caused some serious chaos when she named you to replace me as the fourth division fukutaicho when I moved up to replace her, although, now that I’ve gotten to work with you, I do see that your powers are more suited to healing than they are to fighting, even though you are taicho level. The application of your waterforms…I’ve been thinking a lot about that.”

“You have?” Tetsuya mused, tilting his head and looking at her curiously, “Now, why do I feel like I am about to be drafted for something else I didn’t expect?”

“Tetsuya-chan,” the healer said, laying a hand on his forearm, “I’ve been watching your healing method, and I wonder if maybe…just maybe, you might be able to save a life that we are slowly losing.”

Tetsuya blinked slowly, considering her words carefully, then his eyes widened slightly.

“Y-you don’t mean…Ukitake taicho?” he asked, “You do know that he is infected with the reiatsu of the god Mimihagi, _ne?_ Even with my bankai…if indeed I could turn that power towards healing…”

Isane’s head bowed very slightly and her look became guarded.

“As fukutaicho of this division,” she went on, “I am privy to Unohana taicho’s most secret knowledge. When I was named provisional taicho of the fourth division after her death in the battle with Zaraki taicho, I received direct access to all of the confidential files. In them, are the medical records of a number of shinigamis that Central 46 considers to be anomalies.”

“Kotetsu tai…” Tetsuya began.

“Your profile was among them, and I think you know why.”

“I do,” Tetsuya agreed, “However, the power that made them place me in that category is both blessing and curse. While I may be able to turn its use to expelling the god’s reiatsu from Ukitake taicho’s body, there is no guarantee that I would not destroy Ukitake taicho or myself in the process. And even if I am successful in saving his life, in the midst of this catastrophe, when my skills might well become critically needed…this application of my ability would render me unconscious for seven to ten days and I would be powerless for as much as a month after.”

“Yes,” Isane agreed, “I agree that it would be reckless to attempt this while we are in the heat of the conflict, but…if we continue to keep Ukitake taicho alive…if we perhaps put him in suspension?”

“Hmm,” Tetsuya sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “Even in suspension, he would continue to decline, though at a slower rate. A god’s poison is serious business.”

“Yes it is,” Isane answered, nodding, “but if the time comes, would you consider using this power, Tetsuya-chan? Will you try to save him?”

Tetsuya went quiet, his eyes turning to look out the window into the chill darkness.

“I was trained to be a fighter,” he said finally, “but I have always known that I have the heart of a healer, so…yes, when things are more stable, if you can preserve Ukitake taicho’s life until then, I will employ my divine form and attempt to purge the god’s reiatsu from his body.”

For a moment, it seemed that all of the sadness left the new provisional taicho of the fourth division and Isane leaned forward and surprised her friend with a hug that left the shy half-noble blushing.

“Thank you,” Isane said solemnly, pulling back to look into his widened blue eyes, “We can’t save Unohana taicho, but just maybe we can save our other friend.”

Tetsuya took her hands in his and nodded.

“I promise you, when the time comes that I am free to do so, I will do my best to save him.”

“I have a strong feeling that you will be…”

She paused as the door slammed open and Hanataro ran into the room.

“Kotetsu fuku—ah…taicho…”

“It’s okay,” Isane chuckled, “What is it?”

“More wounded coming in!” Hanataro managed, bending forward and working to catch his breath, “Th-there are a lot of them!”

“Ah,” Isane sighed, starting to rise.

She made a sound of surprise as she felt a light touch on her arm and she turned back to see Tetsuya on his feet and moving to join her.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed, “You’ve been up all night, Tetsuya-chan! And you said that you have to report to…!”

“The report to the elders can wait,” Tetsuya said, falling in beside her, “If you are in need, Kotetsu taicho, I am here for you.”

Isane’s eyes filled with grateful tears and she nodded.

“Thank you, Tetsuya-chan. We are so happy you can be here to help us.”

The three dashed out of the lounge and started down the hallway to the hospital intake. They had just reached the entry to the hospital, when several thunderous crashes and a heavy explosion nearly took them off their feet. The front doors shattered and a mix of panicked healers and injured fighters surged in through the doors.

“Quincies!” one of the fighters howled, “They’re coming to kill all of us! Barricade the doors. Get everyone further in.”

Tetsuya flash stepped forward, calling his blue steel sword to his hand. The fighter gave him a look of surprise.

“What are you…?”

“Help get everyone to safety,” Tetsuya directed him, “Lock everything down and get any fighters who can, ready to fight. I will go out to meet the quincies.”

“Y-you?” the man gasped, staring, “There is a _Sternritter_ with them! You aren’t going to be able to hold them back on your own.”

Tetsuya shook his head firmly.

“That Sternritter knows that this facility is a hospital and it doesn’t matter to him. If he is allowed to pass, he and his soldiers will slaughter everyone here. None of you have a power that can withstand the Sternritter’s, but I do.”

“Tetsuya-chan!” Isane exclaimed worriedly.

Tetsuya turned back and gave his friend and new taicho an encouraging smile.

“Please have faith in me,” he requested softly, “and…I promise that once the Sternritter is defeated, I will come to heal Ukitake taicho too.”

“Tetsuya-chan!”

Isane watched through widened eyes as Tetsuya’s body began to glow with bright blue light and he headed out the front doors, freezing them shut behind him.

“You heard him!” the young woman shouted to the others, “Come on, let’s get everyone to safety!”

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya felt an all over tingling sensation as very slowly, the haze that had fallen over him after his fall in battle, finally began to recede. He drew in and released stinging breaths, fighting to lift his heavy eyelids, and then blinking and squinting up into the whiteness all around him. As his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a white walled room and recalled briefly that he had been evacuated to the royal palace for medical treatment.

“Welcome back,” said a deep, slightly mocking male voice.

He found himself looking up at the royal guardsman known as the hot spring demon.

“You still look like hell, but I have to admit, I’m impressed that you’re here at all and not six feet under. Well done, Kuchiki taicho.”

“Thank you for your assistance,” Byakuya said gratefully, “and I assure you that I will not waste the opportunity you have given me to return to the battlefield.”

“Right,” Kirinji agreed, nodding, “Just one thing about that…”

Byakuya frowned and looked back at him in askance.

“Don’t fucking ask me how it happened or when, but…I think you should know that you’re carrying right now.”

“I am…what?” Byakuya mused, giving him a mystified look.

The hot spring demon smirked and shrugged.

“You came in here carrying an extra in that cute little belly of yours. Now, don’t worry. I ain’t gonna tell no one, if it’s supposed to be a secret or something. Shit, it’s none of my business, but you’ll wanna be aware so you don’t fry the little brat when you start fighting again, y’know?”

“You are telling me that I am somehow…pregnant?”

Kirinji scowled.

“Did I stutter or did your brains turn to Jell-o from spending so long in my healing pool?” he snapped, “Obviously, unless it’s immaculate conception, you got laid recently, and by a noble male.”

He gave the stunned noble a sly smirk.

“Now, be honest. Who was it that got a piece of the Kuchiki?”

He paused and gave his head a little scratch.

“Or maybe you got yourself a little piece of someone else, you know what I’m saying?” he snickered.

“I think you must have been drinking that hot spring water,” Byakuya said dryly, “I haven’t been to bed with anyone in…”

He paused, recalling the teahouse that had been in a number of the vivid dreams he’d had while unconscious.

“A-ha!” Kirinji laughed, “You remember the party now?

_It’s not possible…_

“Heh, heh, you should see your face right now. You look kinda like you wanna laugh, throw up, beat the shit outta someone and faint, all at the same time!” the hot spring demon howled.

“If you are finished making fun of my… _situation_ …”

“Oh, yes mom…erm, I mean ma’am…haha, eh, sir!”

“You are ridiculous,” Byakuya sighed, “Just tell me where I should go now to prepare for battle.”

“Heh, heh, I think you need some mommy lessons, cause I don’t think the labor and the nursing and the motherly vibes are going to…”

“Forget it,” the noble snapped, “I’m leaving.”

“You can’t even…!”

Kirinji made a sound of surprise as Byakuya climbed out of the bed and stomped out of the room without even securing the front of his yukata. The noble turned a corner and his eyes rounded as Ichigo skidded to a stop in front of him, grabbing the noble’s arms to steady himself.

“Whoa! Byakuya, wh-…!”

Byakuya followed the path of the younger man’s eyes and swiftly closed and tied his yukata.

“What are you doing here?” the noble asked the surprised shinigami substitute.

“Oh…ah…” Ichigo stammered, still staring at the place where Byakuya’s yukata had been opened, “I um…I was coming to see h-how you were doing.”

His confused look deepened.

“Shouldn’t you still be in bed or something? You…”

Ichigo read Byakuya’s look of forced patience and took a shaky breath.

“You…almost died, you know. I don’t think it’s good for you to be up and running around yet. Did Kirinji already release you from the infirmary? It didn’t sound like he was gonna do that. Hell, it didn’t seem like he was sure yet that you were gonna survive.”

“What are you babbling about,” Byakuya said dismissively, “I am obviously still alive and whether or not I _should_ be up and about is not nearly so important a question as when can I be fully ready to return to the battleground to fight the quincy scourge?”

“Ah…erm, yeah,” Ichigo chuckled sadly, “Things are really bad right now.”

Byakuya paused as his mind slowed and began to replay recent events. He flinched and paled slightly as he recalled his crushing defeat on the battlefield and the icy fear that had permeated his shattered body as he waited for the arrival of the one person he knew would protect what he held most dear.

“Ichigo,” he said more softly, “you should not be worrying about me. You gave me, a failed officer of the now disgraced Gotei 13, hope that something could be done to stop this horrific slaughter.”

Ichigo’s expression grew more troubled. Seeing his distress, Byakuya laid one hand over one of the ones that was still resting on his arm. The touch seemed to leave the shinigami substitute momentarily breathless as the noble continued.

“This is not the time to be focused on what you have not yet accomplished. We are in great danger, and all of us must train and give everything we have if we are to save what we want to save. If it gives you comfort to know…I have survived the wickedness that tried to end me. I am…grateful for just the comfort that you gave me when I was not sure that I would live long enough to see these battles through. Now that we are here, let’s focus on the fights in front of us. There will be a time for looking back and thinking about all of this, but that time is not now.”

Ichigo considered his words and nodded.

“I get that,” he said more calmly, “and I am gonna go and finish my training so that I can get back. Just…before I go, can you tell me…while you were unconscious and in the hospital, I…seemed to have formed this connection with you.”

Byakuya’s grey eyes narrowed very slightly, but he gave no immediate answer.

“It was your cousin, Tetsuya, who explained to me that your soul and mine were resonating, and he thought that if I sat with you, it might help.”

“I…see.”

“Please, just tell me. Do you remember being in your inner world? I was there. There were plum and sakura trees…and a tea house. You were in the tea house, and at first, Senbonzakura was kinda going crazy and destroying everything.”

Byakuya’s dark eyes slid shut and he breathed slowly.

“Ichigo, it’s best not to get distracted by…”

“It was…real, wasn’t it? You remember it too?” Ichigo persisted, “Because we…”

The younger man paused, examining Byakuya’s expression more closely.

“You do remember,” Ichigo said, staring at him in fascination, “I can feel that you do.”

“And what if I do?” Byakuya asked calmly, “I think we can agree that whatever happened in that place _happened_ because we were both equally determined that I was going to survive. And I will say this. I am grateful to you for comforting me when I was defeated in battle and at my lowest and weakest. I thank you for coming to visit me while I was being healed, and for you taking the time to assist me, although clearly, you should have been focusing on the war and not me.”

“But Byakuya, I didn’t just help you. Something… _happened_ in that other place. You and me…we kissed and we…”

“Yes,” Byakuya affirmed, “I will not deny that those things happened, nor will I brush them off as insignificant. We will speak of all of this after the war, when it is safe for us to do that. In the meantime, let me leave you with this.”

Ichigo froze, wide-eyed as Byakuya moved closer, sliding his arms around the enthralled shinigami substitute and bringing his lips to the younger man’s brightly flushed ear.

“From the depths of my soul, I thank you, and I wish you well in the coming battles. When the war is over, you will always be welcome in my home, such is the debt I owe you. Go now, and know that I will work my hardest to gain the strength to join you on the battlefield soon. You must put your mind now on throwing down the enemy. All of your heart must be bent on that if you want to win.”

Byakuya felt Ichigo stiffen under his hands, then the younger man’s vibrant eyes flared with determination.

_There it is._

_The fiery force that is Kurosaki Ichigo’s will. When I see him wear this expression, I know. He will not stop until he stands over his fallen enemy. He will not win every battle, but there is no doubt in my mind that because of this man’s unrelenting will…we will be victorious._

Byakuya tilted his chin upward, shifting so that he could bring their lips together for a slow, passionate kiss, then he stepped back, releasing the younger man and looking quietly into Ichigo’s eyes.

“Go Ichigo,” he urged the shinigami substitute, “I promise you, I will be all right.”

“Okay,” Ichigo answered, his lips curving upward, “but I’m holding you to that promise. We’re gonna get through this and everything’s gonna be okay.”

“It will,” Byakuya agreed.

Ichigo paused, looking one last time into the noble’s dark, trusting eyes, then he flash stepped away. Byakuya stood, looking after him, but was swiftly distracted by a sudden, slow clapping. He turned to see Kirinji standing a short distance away, smirking at him.

“You didn’t tell him, did ya?” he teased, “Pretty smooth, Kuchiki taicho.”

Byakuya drew in a slow, steadying breath and released it in a little sigh.

“It is better this way,” he said softly, reaching up to touch his still tingling lips for a moment, “The war must be our focus…survival must be our only thought. If we do not survive, then nothing matters. If we are lost, then we have nothing left to protect. I did what was best.”

“Yeah, maybe for now,” the hot spring demon concurred, “but what’s gonna happen when the fighting’s over and that little bun in your oven starts to puff up? What then, huh?”

“I cannot pretend to know,” Byakuya admitted, “but then…nothing about Ichigo is anything but chaotic.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Kiriji laughed.


End file.
